Vacuum pumps and systems are common across a tremendous range
of industries. Once the essential principles are understood, the possibilities
for application become apparent.

In order to properly select a vacuum system, the principles
of basic vacuum technology should be understood. Once the application is clearly
defined, a solution can be found by applying these methods. Since we understand
and can relate to atmospheric pressure, it is chosen as a reference point.
Vacuum is simply a pressure that exists below atmospheric pressure.

To create a vacuum in a vessel, a vacuum producing device
needs to remove mass from it. The more mass that is removed, the lower the
pressure that exists inside the vessel. This is why it is important to
understand what vacuum is and how to select the right type of equipment. It is
very important to size vacuum piping correctly to minimize pressure loss. The
greater the pressure loss, the larger the vacuum equipment needs to be.

The type, quantity of gas handled, and the operating
pressure, normally defines what vacuum pump can be used. If the gas consists of
mainly non-condensable, then most types of pumps can be used. If the gas
consists of non-condensable and condensables, then the choices will be limited.
Therefore a right solution considering the load of condensable and ultimate
vacuum should be struck.

System selection

To select the best type of system for a particular
application, several parameters need to be considered. They include operating
cost, solvent recovery, effect on process, materials of construction, operating
range, reliability, waste generation, pollution abatement, emission reduction,
maintenance cost, ease of cleaning, serviceability and purchase price. After
this the vacuum pump that best meets these criteria may be selected.

Pharmaceutical industry

The pharmaceutical industries use vacuum for distillation and
drying. Various types of dryers are used to purify products under vacuum. The
chemicals are precisely mixed and then heat is applied in the dryer to evaporate
the excess chemicals. This is done under vacuum for purer end products; reduce
the amount of heat energy required for drying, and also to recover any of the
solvents evaporated off thereby not affecting thermally sensitive products.
Pumps that are reliable and easy to service in the field are the most important
for this industry. If an unreliable pump is tried and it fails in the middle of
a drying cycle, then the product is not useable and profit is lost.

A typical setup used for this application is combining
mechanical roots blower along with oil lubricated vacuum pump. This kind of
setup is used to minimize utility costs, drying cycle time and contamination. A
properly designed process condenser between your vacuum process and vacuum
producing system will yield significant advantages. A process vacuum condenser
can significantly reduce the size of the vacuum producing system, recover for
reuse valuable product carried from your process with non-condensable gases,
reduce amount of wastes produced by the vacuum system, and lower the operating
cost of your process.

Matching a vacuum condenser with the vacuum producing
equipment is the best way to meet the objectives of process. Toshniwal
manufactures both the process condenser and the vacuum producing equipment. This
single-source responsibility provides you with a unitized system matched to the
process.